The Fear in/of the Closet: Coming Out in the Classroom

• In Event: Our Bodies, Ourselves: Queerness, Gender Identity, and Performance

Abstract

This qualitative study sought to understand how LGBTQ teachers’ processes of coming out and being out impacts queer students’ schooling experiences. Semi-structured interviews, conducted with two queer-identifying male secondary school teachers in Toronto, revealed three outcomes of having queer teachers in the classroom, with analysis that utilizes queer theory and transformative learning theory. First, by disclosing personal information, such as their identities and issues at home, it was shown that queer students feel more comfortable with out queer teachers. Next, systemic attitudes and beliefs carried in society shift toward acceptance over time, but religious and cultural beliefs of families often negate this shift. Finally, the decision to come out is difficult to make and requires thoughtful consideration of different factors.

Author

• Patrick Callegaro, Greenwood College School